The Donald Trump phenomenon -- and my mistake

I was wrong to belittle the effect of Donald Trump on the Republican primary race.   I dismissed him as an entertaining, obnoxious wacko -- the spot Michele Bachmann occupied in 2012.    The truth, as I'm beginning to realize, is that The Donald is far more dangerous to the Republicans.

Why?    Because he rips the scab off their fake blandishments and exposes the raw truth of what it is to be a conservative in this day and time -- or, rather, he exposes the pandering that politicians have to do to get the vote of the extreme right wing.   He doesn't sugar coat anything, makes no apologies, and seems to be impervious to what other people think of him.  [How else could he continue with that hair after all the ridicule?]

Some pundits say that the Republican establishment is beginning to panic at the thought of Donald Trump in the debates.   Former White House press secretary for George W. Bush, Ari Fleischer, said:

“Donald Trump is like watching a road-side accident.   Everybody pulls over to see the mess. And Trump thinks that’s entertainment. But running for president is serious. And the risk for the party is he tarnishes everybody.”

They fear he will not observe the usual debate decorum and hurl personal insults at his fellow Republicans.    He's already referred publicly to Carly Fiorino's "vicious firing" from Hewlett Packard and her failed campaign for senate.   He slashed Marco Rubio as "very weak" on immigration and said that Jeb Bush is "an unhappy person" who "couldn't negotiate his way out of a paper bag."

But debate decorum pales in comparison with the damage he can do to the Republican establishment's bait-and-switch strategy.   He exposes the real truth of what others hint at ambiguously in their carefully worded talking points.    And he will force others to take a stand that may hurt them badly in the general election.

This is a delicate dance they are trying to do -- flirt with the right wing extremists just enough to get their votes, then pivot back to the center right to bring in the more reasonable center right voters.

Donald Trump won't let them get away with their polite hypocrisy.    He doesn't care about the Republican party.   He only cares about Donald Trump -- and he already knows that he would be "a great president," so he doesn't have to court anybody.    And he doesn't worry much about facts -- he makes them up as it suits him.

That's a problem for the Republicans.   He could destroy their chances, which are slim at best for president.   The real damage he could do to the party is in down-ticket races, if he makes everyone look bad.    

So, Donald Trump in the debates is a Democratic Dream Come True.

Ralph

UPDATE Wednesday afternoon:    Trump is now polling second in a national CNN poll and second in New Hampshire and tied with Ben Carson for second in an Iowa poll.     Remember that in 2012, Rick Perry, Michele Bachmann, and Herman Cain each had a short burst as frontrunner, only to flame out later.    Maybe this is just everybody stopping to look at the roadside accident.    Time will tell.